A growing need is recognized today for the distribution of diverse kinds of contents such as picture data picked up by video cameras or specifically created music data through network communication means like the Internet.
Illustratively, a free-lance video journalist who has picked up scoop pictures of an accident or an event using a video camera at the site may wish to sell the picture content to TV stations or like outlets. In such a case, the journalist may solicit prospective buyers of the content over the Internet and, once the conditions for sale are met, may conveniently transmit the data over the network to those who have agreed to purchase the content.
The TV stations and the like which are always on the lookout for valuable pictures would also find it convenient to solicit promising picture contents over the Internet if a suitable setup were implemented to make the contents available with ease.
The above needs might be met conventionally by establishing an Internet server that handles contents. The server would solicit content uploads from the general public over the Internet and disclose the uploaded contents in order to seek their potential buyers.
With the needs thus met, the server would be expected to promote content distribution in society.
In practice, however, such a conventional server system can hardly be expected to facilitate the distribution of contents. There are a number of reasons:
To make the server system socially useful requires that diverse and numerous contents be uploaded to the server. Potential content buyers such as TV stations will not find the server system attractive unless the system offers contents of high quality in large quantities.
On the other hand, content sellers such as video journalists in possession of potentially valuable contents will find the uploading steps difficult or troublesome to carry out.
The upload procedure generally takes place as follows: where a picture content is to be sent over the Internet, the content output of the video camera is first connected to a video capture board installed in a personal computer (PC). The connection allows the content data to be input to the PC.
The input content data are then encoded in a streaming format. With the PC gaining access to the Internet, the encoded content data are uploaded from the PC to the server.
Where a dedicated Internet line is not available, it is necessary to contract beforehand with an Internet service provider (ISP) to have an Internet connection account established therewith. Obviously the connection service provided by the ISP must be paid for.
Under these circumstances, those who wish to upload their contents are confronted with the following difficulties:
The upload is possible only if they have the necessary means such as a personal computer and communication equipment (e.g., modem) in an environment where the encoding of content data for streaming and the access to the Internet are readily available. These are almost insurmountable hurdles to the person possessing a picture content that must be sold as fast as possible to TV stations or like outlets before the commercial value of the content diminishes over time, such as scoop pictures of an unforeseen accident or incident picked up at the site. When on-site upload cannot be made, the content seller must seek other avenues of marketing the content. In other words, video journalists and other prospective content sellers can scarcely be motivated to upload their pictures to the server.
Where there are few uploads of scoops or other valuable pictures that deserve instant attention, the TV stations and other potential content buyers cannot find the server-based content procurement service attractive.
The upload procedure requires installing an elaborate hardware environment such as the one outlined above. The procedure also involves contracting beforehand with an ISP and paying for the services rendered thereby.
There are other obstacles: connecting the video camera with the personal computer and carrying out the necessary uploading steps can be quite difficult for anyone who wants to send up contents. Such things can be done only by those who have already contracted with the ISP and who are familiar with the ways of PCs and network communications.
For these reasons, video journalists as well as ordinary people who happen to have picked up scoop pictures with their video cameras may wish to sell the content in their possession but are discouraged to do so through conventional uploads to the server. As a result, the number of contents uploaded to such content-offering servers is not expected to become large enough to merit serious consideration.
The server systems, if implemented as outlined above, would remain marginal in their contribution to promoting the distribution of contents in society.